Mists Wafting in the Distant Peaks 煙浮遠岫圖 INK ON PAPER, 2008 41? x 22? inches (106 x 57 cm.)

Everyone has a dream since childhood. Painting is one of the dreams of Tai Xiangzhou(1968- ) when he was a child.

The Mongolia literator Dapuhua(1304-1352) is Xiangzhou’s ancestor, who was named as Taibuhua by Emperor Wenzong of Yuan. He was an outstanding poet in Yuan Dynasty and good at calligraphy, both seal script and official script. Tai Xiangzhou was born in Yinchuan, Ningxia, started to learn calligraphy from Wang wenjun and Hu Gongshi since his childhood. The foundation of calligraphy in his childhood offers convenience in painting. After graduation, from 1991 to 1996, Xiangzhou learned remounting ancient painting and calligraphy from Cui Yurun and Li Zhenjiang. In these years he understood the exquisite of the material of traditional Chinese painting, which is one of the reasons why he pays particular attention to the material in his painting. In 1990s, Xiangzhou learned Chinese classical literature from Feng Qiyong and was helped by Ke wenhui, who was the secretary of Liu Haisu, to visit all the famous experts in the areas south of the Yangtze River to search out the right painting and calligraphy teacher for him. It opened the art vision of Xiangzhou and made painting and calligraphy a major part of his ideal. But at that time Xiangzhong still can't figure out why we need painting and calligraphy and how one can achieve his or her ideal by painting and calligraphy.

Xiangzhou went abroad to learn digital media, prior than most of the Chinese students. His work Orient Universe won Industry Panel Award: Highly Commended in Innovation of media design school in 2000, which showed his innovation. He served as art director of Macromediachina, design director of CCTV.com successively, and then founded the magazine Chinese Heritage, undertaking the position of general designer. His experience is regarded as a legend. Xianghzou was not satisfied with his achievements while his affection of painting and calligraphy became stronger. He kept adjust his ideal. Xiangzhou still didn’t understand what kind of ideal the painting and calligraphy can help to achieve and how to achieve his own ideal until he met Liu Dan. Then Xianghzou decided to give up his career and what he called repeated commercial manufacture and devoted to the exploration of art to start his life of painting and calligraphy.